OPUN and Alchemy secure grant for Sneinton Vision

posted 16 Sep 2011, 01:54 by Tom Hughes

OPUN, the Leicester-based Architecture Centre for the East Midlands, has
successfully secured £7,000 to create a vision to support the community
in Sneinton.This funding has been awarded by the Design Council CABE’s
Neighbourhoods Projects Small Grants Scheme.

Over the past few years, Sneinton has seen many different schemes get underway
to develop the market and eastpoint areas and to revitalise a number of run down
heritage and commercial properties. A larger, £6.8m scheme called Connecting
Eastside, is also in the pipeline. This aims to kick start the regeneration of the
eastern area of the City of Nottingham.

The local community has always been active in the many consultations around
these proposed schemes, but is keen to have more of a say in how the wider area
can be brought together through development programmes. This grant means that
OPUN will now work alongside the people of Sneinton via a community group called
Sneinton Alchemy, to help them articulate their views on the redesign of their
neighbourhood.

Dharmista Patel, OPUN’s Head of Design Support Services said: “It’s fantastic news
that we’ve been able to secure this funding. Over the next six months, we will
be working closely with the community through Sneinton Alchemy to develop a
vision for Sneinton that’s driven from the grass roots. People want to have a say in
what’s happening on their doorstep, and with our involvement, we can make that
a reality.”

Dawn Manners, a Director of Sneinton Alchemy, added: “It’s becoming harder
to secure grants for community led projects so we’re delighted that OPUN has
secured this investment. This is a step in the right direction, and will make sure
local people can be an integral part of the changes that are happening around us.”

Commenting on the outcome of the grant awards schemes, Diane Haigh, Director
of Design Council CABE said: "Supporting communities in developing their own
vision for their area is vital in ensuring that Britain's new planning system
empowers people and is truly accountable."

OPUN plans to publish the community vision for Sneinton next spring. This is likely
to be a visual document that captures local residents’ aspirations for the area to
bring itself up to date whilst retaining its strong character and heritage.

Sneinton groups and residents interested in finding out more are welcome at the Greenway Centre, 6.30pm on Tuesday 20th September when the project will be launched.